AEWA News

As much of the world continues to hold its breath whilst grappling with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, many of us are sequestered in our homes trying to manage within the parameters of the current new normal. I have tried to make use of these restrictions on our activities to reflect on some of the environmental challenges facing us in addition to the current pandemic and discussion on emerging diseases. For trying circumstances such as these, there are no simple solutions or easy fixes.

On Saturday, 9 May 2020, people around the world will celebrate World Migratory Bird Day

On Saturday, 9 May 2020, people around the world will celebrate World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) – a global campaign dedicated to raising awareness of migratory birds and the need for international cooperation to conserve them. This year the theme of World Migratory Bird Day is “Birds Connect Our World” and was chosen to highlight the importance of conserving and restoring the ecological connectivity and integrity of ecosystems that support the natural cycles that are essential for the survival and well-being of migratory birds.

The AEWA Secretariat is happy to collaborate with colleagues from the Ramsar Convention as both organizations work to promote the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands. Waterbirds are an important and visible part of wetland biodiversity and ecosystems and are an excellent medium to highlight the importance of these habitats. The theme of this year’s World Wetlands Day, which is being celebrated on Sunday, highlights the importance of these habitats as an essential element in sustaining biodiversity including waterbirds.

The successful implementation of AEWA relies on the cooperation and engagement of multiple stakeholders – first and foremost the Contracting Parties to the Agreement. Currently, the AEWA family unites a total of 80 Parties, 42 of them from Eurasia and 38 from Africa. Here is an example – in pictures - of what AEWA implementation looks like in Côte d’Ivoire, highlighting three of the AEWA-related activities carried out by the national AEWA implementing agency, the Department of Wildlife and Hunting (DFRC) of the Ministry of Water and Forestry (MINEF) in Côte d’Ivoire.

The 15th Meeting of the AEWA Standing Committee took place from 11 to 13 December 2019 in Bristol, United Kingdom at the kind invitation of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). The three-day meeting, which took place a year after the Seventh Meeting of the Parties to AEWA (MOP7) held 4-8 December 2018 in South Africa, was an opportunity to take stock of the progress made in implementing the resolutions adopted by the Parties in Durban and to start preparing for MOP8.

The Grey Crowned-crane (Balearica regulorum), a tall and majestic bird, which occurs in eastern and southern Africa, is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It has been facing various threats such as habitat degradation and loss, disturbance from livestock and people during the breeding season and the illegal removal of birds and eggs from the wild. Through co-funding under the AEWA Small Grants Fund activities were supported in Zimbabwe focusing on the conservation of the Grey Crowned-crane as well as the Vulnerable Wattled Crane (Bugeranus carunculatus).

With co-funding from the AEWA Small Grants Fund, the Ministry of Water and Forestry (Ministère des Eaux et Forêts - MINEF) of Côte d’Ivoire has successfully implemented a 2-year project aimed at strengthening national capacity for the conservation of waterbirds and their habitats. The project focused, in particular, on enhancing capacity for monitoring and the sustainable management of waterbirds and their key sites, awareness-raising on migratory waterbirds and their habitats, and strengthening the involvement of local communities in the sustainable management of these natural resources.

The Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) has successfully completed a project on enhancing capacity and raising awareness for waterbird conservation, implemented over the period 2018-2019 and funded under the AEWA Small Grants Fund (SGF). Project activities included, among others, the conduct of waterbird monitoring trainings and waterbird counts, the development of a schedule for planning waterbird monitoring at identified sites and the establishment of Site Support Groups (SSGs) to sustain future waterbird and habitat conservation activities.

Government representatives and conservation experts gathered at Verlorenkloof Estate, near Dullstroom, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa for the third meeting of the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement’s International Working Group for the White-winged Flufftail (Sarothrura ayresi) (AEWA WwF IWG). The Meeting took place close to the Middelpunt Wetland which was recently discovered to be a breeding site for the elusive species; previously the only known breeding site was Berga Wetland in Ethiopia.

With support from the AEWA Small Grants Fund (SGF), the Mauritanian conservation NGO AMISO (Association mauritanienne des amis des oiseaux et de la protection des espèces animales menacées d’extinction) has successfully implemented a project designed to enhance technical and material capacity for waterbird identification and monitoring in Mauritania. The project has a focus on the Aftout Essahili lagoon, a peripheral zone of Diawling National Park (PND) in southwestern Mauritania.